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Author: Eli
Hotbin Composter: your top 5 questions answered
Since we started using the Hotbin Composter, we’ve had quite a few of you asking questions about how it works and what to expect from it, and, even some of you asking for help with getting yours going. So we thought it might be a nice time to answer some of those questions. I put… Read more
Growing herbs: or it’s just not a kitchen garden
I think herbs were one of the first “food” things I grew… I may be wrong but I suspect it was. Either way, I now hate having to rely on dried herbs, I’d much rather go chop a big handful of the real stuff for cooking. My two absolute favourites are basil and French tarragon.… Read more
Boxty – a traditional Irish potato pancake
Boxty on the griddle,boxty on the pan,If you can’t bake boxtysure you’ll never get a man Happy St Patrick’s day folks, I hope those of you celebrating have had a fantastic day! Kate and I joined in the celebrations today by having Boxtys for dinner. What are boxtys I hear you cry? Well, they are… Read more
How to use propagators to beat the cold
If, like us, you live in a place where spring can still be quite cold, and so hard to get your seeds germinating, even in the greenhouse, it may be handy to know how to get the best out of propagators. Read more
My quest for the perfect scone recipe
A good plain scone, real butter and a cup of earl grey are one of life’s joys. Well for me, Kate likes fruit scones (yuck), covered in jam. However, I have frustratingly found that all the recipes I have tried for making my own scones have been a disappointment. Small and sometimes just too crumbly.… Read more
January has gone, hurrah for February: let the gardening commence
This year’s seed haul is here so I can now bore the pants off you all with details of what I will be growing and how. Hurrah! The excitement and build-up to spring started last week for me, with getting the greenhouse properly clean and tidy. It now feels awesome to walk in there and… Read more
Cleaning the greenhouse and preparing for spring planting
Getting back out into the greenhouse this weekend is the best therapy ever. I hadn’t been able to get it cleaned yet, so it was hard to get my head into proper planning for spring mode. But now, it’s all shiny and tidy. Read more
January is always seedanuary
January at Ar Bruadair is always a time for reflection on the year past and the excitement of the year to come. It’s January when the seed orders get placed and plans are underway. So go grab a cuppa and a wee biscuit or two and let’s get started. Read more
Mushroom and chicken ravioli with mushroom marsala cream sauce
This my friends is our date night delish. You know that recipe we all have for a special occasion, well this is ours. We usually make this for a nice valentine’s meal or other special night. Like date night. If the thought of making your own ravioli from scratch and making a “posh” sauce all… Read more
Switching to a glass greenhouse: one year on
Well, I guess by the end of this month it’s time to stop talking about the new greenhouse… Olive will be one year old! I think there should be cake. So this week, the thought of it being a whole year with our first “proper” greenhouse (polycarbonate didn’t count as proper), got me thinking back… Read more
Radish pickle: slightly spicy and extra crunchy
This morning there was a definite nippy (read freezing) bite in the air, the seasons are definitely changing and we’re all looking for ways to use up or preserve our amazing harvests from our kitchen gardens. So for quite a few of us, our minds will turn to pickles and chutneys. Kate & I learned… Read more
How to save your tomato seeds for next year
Well after the last post talking about saving seeds from your flower garden I thought it might be nice to follow that up for all you vegetable gardeners with a way to save your tomato seeds. So get your jam jars out again! Saving tomato seeds is a little bit different from saving seeds from… Read more
How to collect flower seeds from your garden
So I’ve been out in the garden with a jam jar this week. And it wasn’t for catching slugs. I’ve been out collecting seeds from the flowers that have passed. As gardeners, we spend a small fortune on seeds and plants for the garden, we always will but a lot of the time, we are… Read more
Winter spiced tea recipe
Spiced tea was a recent discover for me, and to be honest, at first I wasn’t sure. Now however I am a full on convert. It’s another of those little comforters for the dark cold months we are about to embrace. So where did this come form? Well for me, it was an innocuous little… Read more
Starting carrots in the root trainer
Way back in March when I was getting the spring planting underway, I spoke to you about the problems I can have getting carrots and beetroot to take. Mostly due to the length of time it takes for the ground to heat up here in Scotland and the fact that we can have gorgeous, warm… Read more
Autumn is the time to give your lawn some love
You have all joined us on our journey from blocked car park to luscious lawn, so we thought it only fair to share some important autumn tips with you. I have said it before and I’ll say it again, one of the hardest plants to grow and maintain in our garden, believe it or not,… Read more
Blossom end rot on my tomatoes for the first time ever
I’ve a sad story to tell today, we’ve had our very first experience of blossom end rot. Sigh! Thing is, it’s not necessarily unusual for gardeners to experience this with their tomatoes, it’s just the first time we’ve seen it so we thought it would be a great thing to share and hopefully help you… Read more
Deadheading your flowers: why, how and when?
Deadheading basically just means taking the spent flowers off your plants and there are two good reasons why you should: dead and decaying flowers just don’t look great and can make your whole plant look a bit ropey it can encourage your plant to keep flowering for longer or even give you a whole second… Read more
The jade plant adventure finishes
Well, my adventure with the jade plants has come to an end. The very last of the little cuttings has gone to its forever home and my plants are looking happy and healthy. I am becoming quite the regular at delivering plants by bike. I can’t believe I went from absolute panic that I was… Read more